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The White House has announced that Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul are among those President Joe Biden has appointed to the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
The Board of Directors is tasked with advancing the goals of the HBCU Initiative, which was initially established by the Carter Administration and reestablished last year by the Biden Administration. They aim to “enhance the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest quality education to their students and continue to serve as an engine of opportunity,” according to the White House.
“Incredibly humbled to be appointed to President Biden’s HBCU Board of Advisors. Looking forward to working with this amazing group to continue to elevate these institutions,” tweeted Paul.
Incredibly humbled to be appointed to President Biden's HBCU Board of Advisors. Looking forward to working with this amazing group to continue to elevate these historical institutions. #HBCUlove pic.twitter.com/Zc5Im0Alqb
— Chris Paul (@CP3) March 31, 2022
“I am excited to announce that President Biden has appointed me to serve on his HBCU Board of Advisors. Since taking office, the President and Vice President Harris have invested $5.8 Billion in HBCUs and I look forward to working with them to continue efforts to support these important institutions,” said Henson in a post the actress shared on Instagram.
Henson studied acting at Howard University, and in 2018 launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation. It provides scholarships to African-American students majoring in mental health.
Paul, who served as head of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013-2021, has made it a point to actively and publicly support HBCUs throughout his career. He is currently enrolled as a student at Winston-Salem State in North Carolina.
Last year Biden appointed Dr. Tony Allen and Dr. Glenda Glover as the board’s chair and vice-chair respectively. Back in February, Biden appointed Dietra Trent as the executive director.
Biden on Thursday also announced he would appoint to the board Makola Abdullah, the president of Virginia State University; Javaune Adams-Gaston, the president of Norfolk State University; Monica Goldson, CEO for Prince George’s County Public Schools, and Brett Hart, president of United Airlines.
Also among the appointees are Quinton Ross, president of Alabama State University; Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University, and Janeen Uzzell, CEO of the National Society of Black Engineers; Paige Blake, a college student at Bowie State University, among others.
